The Social Media Release is a hot topic among both those manufacturing news (PR departments), and those trying to make sense of it for their readers (news bloggers and journalists).

The SMR came from a place of good intentions - a new, hopefully better vehicle for communicating a message or story, leveraging tools and channels increasingly embraced by a growing population of socially-driven consumers and news media. But has the SMR successfully delivered on its promise for all parties - PR folks, media and consumers alike?

The answer is not yet clear. I recently sat down with Brian Solis, social media relations expert and the blogger behind PR2.0 as part of our Vino Diaries video series to discuss the state of the SMR, and get his take on where its working, where its not, and where its headed. You can watch the video here. Below are some key take-aways that I found enormously helpful - great points made even better by a glass of great wine!

1) Poor writing can run, but it cant hide. In the transparent world we live in, where press releases are often viewed directly by new and prospective customers, clear, concise writing is critical. Bottom line for PR folks: If you are not articulating your story in a way that informs and entertains, no amount of social media bells and whistles will fix it. There are no short cuts here.

2) Understand your audiences, and tailor the messaging vehicle for each. Its not an either/or scenario - each constituency you engage with requires a tailored approach to ensure your message successfully resonates. Do you still need to issue a traditional release on the wire, because it helps benchmark your companys progress for its board? No problem. That does not mean you cant use another approach to augment and socialize the news for another audience. Do your homework. Understand each audience. Then build a communications strategy and tactical plan to support that.

3) SMR is not a template. As Brian puts it, we PR people are used to packaging things up for easy consumption (we are, so true!) . An SMR doesn't necessarily mean taking a traditional release and putting into social media-friendly package; instead think of how and where to tell the story in a different way, and what specific tools can augment that. Example: Brian suggests creating SMRs on a blog platform, like WordPress, that is customized as an extension of the company site, and embed all of the useful content any blogger or reporter would need as part of that. Tell the news story in the way you envision it being reported. Creating this experience as part of a platform built for sharing, commenting and linking will go a long way in sparking a real conversation around your news. A traditional release on the wire is a great way to complement this strategy and extend your reach.

Lots of great insights. For more reading, check out these links below from some of the innovative thinkers on this topic.

Brian Solis, PR2.0 The Definitive Guide to Social Media Releases

Todd Defren and Christopher Lyn PRSquared Social Media Tactic Series: Untangling Claims About Wire Services & Social Media

Tom Foremski, Silicon Valley Watcher, Die! Press Release! Die! Die! Die!

*UPDATE* check out Tom's latest post - Evolve! Press Release! Evolve! Evolve! Evolve! in whcih he discusses the IABC's involvement in creating standards around SMRs.

Chris Heuers Social Media Release Archive